The kiss was a bit fierce, and Shi Jin’s breath was instantly stolen away. One of his hands was held tightly by Lian Jun, while the other carried the gift he had brought for him. His body was pinned against the door panel by Lian Jun’s legs, leaving him completely unable to move.

“Wait a second— mmph.” Shi Jin opened his mouth to speak, but his lips and teeth were instantly invaded.

Lian Jun gave him no chance to speak at all. The hand gripping his arm shifted to encircle his body, while his other hand moved to the back of Shi Jin’s head, pressing him closer as their lips and teeth intertwined with ever-deepening intimacy.

Clatter.

The gift in Shi Jin’s hand dropped to the floor, and he raised his arms to hug Lian Jun back— being kissed like this made him feel a bit excited as well.

Receiving a response, Lian Jun’s eyes darkened. The hand resting on Shi Jin’s back slid downward, lifting the hem of his shirt and slowly slipping inside.

“Nngh… don’t. I’ve been on a plane for over ten hours, I smell bad,” Shi Jin managed to turn his head between kisses and spoke quickly. Twisting his body, he deftly pressed down on Lian Jun’s hand inside his shirt, leaning against his shoulder while catching his breath. “And I’m starving— the airplane food was terrible.”

Lian Jun’s movements instantly froze. Calming his breathing, he turned his head and rubbed his chin against Shi Jin’s face, saying softly, “You were gone for too long.” His voice was slightly raspy, carrying an implicit trace of accusation.

“I’m sorry. I thought Second Brother was alone abroad with no one to look after him, so I stayed a few days longer,” Shi Jin explained. Stepping back slightly to study Lian Jun’s face, he leaned in with a smile, kissed him again, and praised, “You’ve gained a bit of weight since I left. Good job, baby.”

Lian Jun rejected this sugar-coated bullet. Raising his hand, he held the back of Shi Jin’s head to pull him back, tilting his head to gently bite Shi Jin’s lip.

Shi Jin intentionally stuck out his tongue and licked him.

Lian Jun’s arms holding him immediately tightened.

“Don’t, no playing around. I’m hungry and really tired, I just want to take a quick shower and go to sleep. I couldn’t sleep at all on the plane—look at my dark circles,” Shi Jin quickly played pitiful, terrified that Lian Jun would keep messing around.

It was already past midnight; if they really started fooling around, how would Lian Jun get any sleep? Although he actually missed Lian Jun quite a lot too… no, no, everything had to prioritize Lian Jun’s health.

How could Lian Jun not see through his little thoughts? Heartwarmed and fond, he hugged him tightly to feel his warmth once more before gently letting go. Leading Shi Jin to the small table by the window, he pressed him into a chair, then brought out an insulated food container and placed it before him.

“You prepared this for me?” Shi Jin hadn’t expected Lian Jun to have food ready in advance. Reaching out, he hugged Lian Jun’s waist and nuzzled him affectionately. “Baby, you’re the best.”

“Calling me names again,” Lian Jun scolded lightly, though his hand stroked Shi Jin’s head lovingly.

Inside the insulated box was a century egg and lean pork porridge, along with two small plates of dim sum, none in large quantities.

“It’s not good to eat too much before bed, as it’s hard to digest. Just fill your stomach a bit, and tomorrow I’ll take you out for something delicious.” Lian Jun set up the food for Shi Jin, then stood up and said, “I’ll go draw your bath water. Eat first.” With that, he leaned down to kiss his cheek before turning to leave.

Shi Jin watched him walk into the bathroom, savoring his handsome posture as he walked. Withdrawing his gaze, he satisfiedly picked up the spoon, took a mouthful of porridge, narrowed his eyes comfortably, and sighed, “Lian Jun really is the most thoughtful.”

Xiao Si couldn’t hold back anymore and spoke up, <Jinjin, haven’t you noticed anything wrong with Darling?>

“What’s wrong?” Shi Jin asked in confusion. He was genuinely hungry, so he kept gulping down the porridge while asking, finishing nearly half of it in no time.

Xiao Si raised its voice: <Darling stood up!>

Shi Jin felt even more bewildered: “He could already stand up before starting rehabilitation. Aren’t you getting excited a bit too late? Did you short-circuit or something?”

After surviving the active phase of the toxin, Lian Jun gradually stopped feeling pain in his legs. Later, the primary obstacles preventing him from walking normally were physical weakness and years of lack of exercise. It was already July, and Lian Jun had been recuperating for over two months. Calculating carefully, his rehabilitation had been going on for nearly a month; standing up really wasn’t anything surprising. Furthermore, to speak a bit thick-skinnedly, after being gone for so long, wasn’t it completely normal for Lian Jun to be excited enough to stand up and greet him?

<No! My point is that Darling’s legs can do more than just stand— he can exert force flexibly now! Weren’t you just pinned against the door by his legs having his way with you?! Couldn’t you feel the difference in strength?!> Xiao Si was forced to spell it out bluntly.

Pinned against the door having his way—

“Cough, cough, cough!” Shi Jin instantly pictured some NSFW scenarios, nearly choking on his porridge. He hastily scolded, “Xiao Si, what nonsense are you spewing? A kid like you shouldn’t be making things up…”

<Darling’s legs are healed! I didn’t scan any wheelchair in this suite— Darling isn’t using a wheelchair anymore! In the past, even if Darling stood up to greet you, a wheelchair would definitely be kept nearby, but there isn’t one in this room at all!> Xiao Si roared out loud, feeling utterly hopeless at Shi Jin’s dense obliviousness.

Shi Jin choked. Finally catching Xiao Si’s meaning, his voice hitched in a strange, meaningless gasp. He abruptly dropped his spoon and began pacing around the room in large strides.

Not by the sofa, not in the corner, not behind the curtains… His heart rate accelerated beat by beat. He rushed into the inner bedroom and searched all around. Still seeing no trace of a wheelchair, he held his breath and bolted to the wardrobe— the only place large enough to conceal a wheelchair in the room— and yanked it open with a clatter.

Their clothes hanging together were revealed; as expected, there was no sign of a wheelchair inside.

“Ah!” Shi Jin couldn’t help letting out a cry.

Xiao Si jumped in surprise and asked, <Jinjin, what happened to you?>

“It’s really gone,” he muttered, feeling a surreal sensation as if his soul had been pulled into midair. Abruptly slamming the wardrobe doors shut, he turned and dashed toward the bathroom.

The bathroom door was open. Lian Jun was currently squatting before the bathtub, carefully adjusting the water temperature. Leaning forward, one of his hands rested on the tub rim while the other tested the water, with most of his body weight supported by his legs. Moreover, he was squatting on one tiptoe in a half-kneeling posture, which required far more exertion than a normal squat.

Looking at Lian Jun’s current posture, Shi Jin was rendered speechless.

Even during the best condition of Lian Jun’s legs in the past, he could never perform a movement like this. His legs and feet would throb with pain whenever force was applied, and they would tremble after walking for a short while. A deep squat that compressed his leg nerves and muscles would cost him half his life in agony. Later, although his legs no longer hurt from the toxin, he became so physically frail that even standing was arduous, let alone maintaining balance in a squat, so he had never attempted such a posture before.

Yet right now, Lian Jun was performing this mundane action so naturally, looking as if he had been maintaining the posture for quite some time.

This was the first time Shi Jin realized so vividly that Lian Jun was slowly recovering, drawing closer step by step toward becoming a healthy person. In just half a month of absence, Lian Jun had completely discarded his wheelchair— what on earth had he missed out on…?

Splash.

The bathtub finally filled up. Lian Jun turned off the tap, pushed himself up with one hand against the tub edge, stretched his slightly numb legs, and turned around.

Their eyes met. Lian Jun paused in his tracks, then immediately curled his lips into a smile and approached, asking softly, “Why did you come over? Finished eating?”

Shi Jin’s gaze remained glued to his legs moving naturally. Once Lian Jun stood still in front of him, Shi Jin suddenly crouched down, reached out to hold his legs, squeezed them gently, and looked up to ask, “Does it hurt?”

Lian Jun froze for a moment, then his eyes softened with warmth. Bending down to press his hand against Shi Jin’s head, he replied, “It doesn’t hurt, nor does it feel sore or weak. The toxin’s effects are gone, and the physical weakness is gone too. Rehabilitation is progressing wonderfully— just yesterday, Uncle Long confiscated my wheelchair.”

Shi Jin tightened his grip on Lian Jun’s legs, confirming carefully, “Does that mean you never need to sit in a wheelchair again?”

“Yes, no need to sit in one ever again,” Lian Jun answered firmly.

With a swoosh, Shi Jin’s floating soul finally landed back on solid ground. Relaxing his body, he leaned forward and rested against Lian Jun’s legs.

Lian Jun patted his head softly.

“I’m sorry,” Shi Jin said, a whirlwind of grief and joy swirling in his chest. “I couldn’t accompany you through your rehab, I’m sorry… But I’m so happy. We’re never using a wheelchair for the rest of our lives— never again.”

Lian Jun held his shoulders, squatted down to stroke his face, and asked softly, “Shi Jin, tomorrow… shall we go watch a movie? I’ll buy the tickets.”

Shi Jin froze, looking up at him. Meeting Lian Jun’s tender gaze, he recalled the last time they went to the cinema when Lian Jun could only sit in a wheelchair, unable to even see the ticket counter. His heart ached, and he nodded vigorously, “Okay, let’s go watch a movie.”